EDU 552 - Curriculum Video

My curriculum video: Vertebrates

EDU 552 - Reflection of course


Here is my link for my voice-thread reflection.

https://voicethread.com/share/7704348/

I thoroughly enjoyed gaining a stronger understanding for multiple multimedia resources throughout the last four weeks. I look forward to utilizing this new knowledge and finding new and wonderful ways within the classroom.

EDU 552 - Blog Assignment

EDU 552 - Blog Assignment

I was very interested in the following link: 

http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2016/03/5-settings-you-should-know-for-school.html#.VvNZ3pMrJsM

For several years now, I have been intrigued by the idea of having a Facebook page for my classroom. We have our own school websites, but I feel that in a world of technology that is so endless, it can be intimidating or confusing for parents to navigate through our webpages confidently. Facebook is a social networking site that is very familiar to almost any person between the ages of 10 and 70. It has become so mainstream that I have even overheard my fourth grade students talking about the social networking phenomena.

We live in a world where people live their lives through technology. This is not always the best practice, but I do feel that even our electronic devices accommodate so well to all of these social networking options. With a classroom Facebook page, it would be so simple to post activities throughout the day at the click of a button. School webpages, although affiliated directly with the school, take extra time that could be spend on other classroom activities or preparation.

What I love about this link is that it gives you several ways to make your Facebook page a “Post Only by Administrator” site, avoiding comments from students or parents that may cause an issue. There are simple steps to adjusting your settings to maintain complete control of your webpage while still being able to share with those who are interested.

Facebook has become more than just a status update location for bored college students. It has become a large part of our everyday communication and one of the few ways we stay in contact with people we do not see very often. I look forward to pursuing this idea of having a classroom Facebook page.

EDU 552 - Screencast (Animal Adaptations)

Animal Adaptations Screencast:

This is my first time using this type of screencast, but I really like how easy it is to use. I think it is very user friendly and this would be a great way to bring technology into the classroom. What I think I enjoy most about the idea of using screencast is that I would be able to post these videos to my class webpage for when students have missed a lesson from illness, doctor's appointment, etc. I love the idea of having such a wonderful tool for days the students are gone, or even when I am gone. This is a fantastic resource for anyone in education.

EDU 552 - PowToon

How can this be used in the classroom?
This resource would be a wonderful way for a student to teach a topic to the class, or even present a book report or small summary. It provides wonderful options in terms of visual displays and different font options. I would recommend then for many projects.

How easy is it to use?
The best part about PowToon is that they provide you with already made templates that you can adjust accordingly. This means that if you already have an idea of what you want, you may be able to find something that has already been started, as opposed to starting from scratch. It is still very user friendly in making it your own, unique presentation, but the minor detail have already be started.

Are accounts needed?
Before starting, you do need to have create an account, but it takes less than one minute and you have access to most of the materials. You obviously can't use all of the features on the free version, but there are still many options available.

What ages and subject areas would this be best for?
I would suggest this primarily to middle school and high school students, simply because it require quite a bit of independent work, meaning that students much have some prior knowledge to multimedia presentations before starting their own. With an appropriate amount of knowledge from similar programs, this would be an amazing tool for any student or teacher.

What types of projects can be created?
With PowToon, the possibilities really are endless. It's amazing to see everything that you are able to do, from creating simple introductory videos to advertisements and mini-lessons.

EDU 552 - Animoto Slideshow Project

For my presentation, I decided to use this as an opportunity to create a slideshow to introduce myself to the class at the start of the year. I had created one similar to this in another class, but I feel this was much more accessible and provided many more options than the program I had used before. This program is very user friendly and I feel most of my students would be able to navigate pretty easily.

I feel that Animoto would be a great tool to use in the classroom to help introduce a topic. It would be a great way to initially gain the attention of students who may typical not find the information interesting or exciting. As an attention grabber, this quicker paced presentation will allow students to be introduced without having to much time to get distracted.

I would really like to have my students put their own animoto presentations together discussing the highlights of their school year, or even one for the next years fourth grade classes. This would be a great way to help prepare future students for what is to come.

Finally, I believe that this would be a great way to summarize a topic we are discussing in preparation for a test, or even just to re-visit areas that have been discussed within the classroom setting. The animoto presentations could also be posted on student blogs as they assist each other in homework or different topics.

EDU 552 - Multimedia Authoring

The Educational Uses of Digital Storytelling

This last week of school, I spent quite a bit of time trying new digital storytelling tools, such as GIFs, flip-books, visual poetry, etc. I thought it would be great to get some experience with few of these so I could accurately reflect on them and how I use them in the classroom.

Over the last few years, I have searched and experimented in several new ways to engage students. Not only are we raising the standards in education, but also children seem to losing more and more interest in the simple idea of learning. Support for education from parents is growing less and less each year and if our students are not constantly being “entertained” it is very unlikely that information will be retained. According to this article, digital storytelling is a great way to break down barriers that often prevent people form engaging in technology use. It is very common for people to have fears, time concerns, and even language needs in the educational field, and digital storytelling can assist in all of these areas. Digital storytelling is simply a way to educate, relate, and create in a visual way for all people alike.

In this article, Rafferty and Boster state that motivation for connectedness and the inherently personal nature of stories is why digital storytelling is so powerful. It is human nature for people to want to feel connected and involved with what is happening around them. Everyone has a story to tell and as a teacher, I truly enjoy providing my students and colleagues with tools to bring those stories to life.

From every article I have seen, the greatest downfall to digital storytelling is the inevitable countless hours of preparation that must take place for the process to be successful. Even though time is a factor, there are still way more benefits to inclusion of this process.

Some of the benefits of incorporating digital storytelling in the classroom include learning how to communicate and tell stories through different types of media, examine the value of different types of stories and methods, help build an understanding of technology, provide collaboration opportunities, and so many more. The benefits go on in our world that relies so heavily on technology. It is the world we live in. It is our present and it will be our future.

Digital storytelling is the future to everything kids today will be working on. We have already started using digital storytelling through resumes, job interviews, etc. These are the skills that will be valuable, as students grow older and need to tell stories on college applications or to their employers.

My plan is to evaluate my own curriculum and consider how digital stories are already being incorporated and if there are more/better ways to integrate them into my classroom.

Introduction

Hello everyone!

My name is Mike Henrichs. I graduated from Peru State College in May 2010 with my degrees in Elementary Education. That fall I started working as a fourth grade teacher in Auburn, Nebraska. In the summer of 2015, I decided to go back to school to earn my Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction. I’m so glad I did, because I love learning new things and working with other lifelong learners in education. I have learned many wonderful things since graduation, both in the classroom and through graduate courses, and plan to continue to absorb as much as possible before graduating in December.

As far as technology goes, I am definitely a Mac person. Working in a district that utilizes a lot of Apple products basically means that I have to be an Apple person or I won’t be able to fully use the equipment the district provides. On a day-to-day basis I use my MacBook Pro and iPad regularly. We use Google for e-mail and Google Docs to share information. I use Google Docs to organize my visitation logs and to access team agendas for our weekly meetings. I utilize quite a bit of technology with my students, as our district puts a lot of money toward the newest trends in educational technology. With my students, we have used Ipads, Ipods, Laptops, Clickers, Mimeos, and many other new and trending resources.

The best part about being with a school district is having access to the most up-to-date technology. I currently utilize the most recent versions of most programs. I’m using version 14.48 for MS Office. That’s also something nice about Apple, there’s always a notification when an update is available.

I chose to attend Peru State College for my Master’s degree because it’s my alma mater. I couldn’t imagine going any place else. I also got a scholarship to attend Peru State, which is paying for my entire Master’s degree (an amazing opportunity that helps me live on a teacher’s salary). My primary motivator for going back to school is to get better pay, as well as being a first generation college graduate. It is my hope that I can set a positive example for my 10-month-old son, Paxton in terms of furthering my education and becoming a lifelong learner. And of course, being close to bottoming out on the pay scale is motivation to continue working toward my masters, so I can keep moving in the right direction.